


Deals With Weddings

by miera



Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-10
Updated: 2010-01-10
Packaged: 2017-10-06 02:50:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miera/pseuds/miera
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A wedding, a proposal, a resolution, a shooting, and someone gets slapped in the face.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place after "Heaven's Field"

Carson Beckett took a deep breath. "I know we haven't spoken too much about the future, and that's my fault. I've been wanting to take things slowly between us, be sure we were compatible. The truth is, when you became ill I realized that I was being a fool, and that I was only waiting because of something I should have gotten over long ago. You see, when I was much younger, there was a girl, a fellow student of mine at university in fact. She was one of the brightest people I'd ever met-"

"Wait a minute," Rodney McKay interrupted him. "Do you honestly think while you're proposing marriage is the best time to talk about past loves?"

Carson scowled, but Rodney had a point. There was a reason why Carson had asked Rodney to let him rehearse the proposal before making it to Laura. Well, aside from the fact that Rodney was the only man in town who Carson felt comfortable enough making a fool out of himself in front of. "All right, fine. Let me start again."

***

Elizabeth Weir was reading when she heard the door in the kitchen open and close. She was already tucked into bed, despite the early hour. The lingering fatigue from the fever simply would not leave her, and she was exhausted at the end of nearly every day. She was growing deeply resentful of her own body's inability to simply buck up and get over it.

She refused to admit to herself or anyone else that her feelings were in any way connected to the fact that John Sheppard and his partner had left Atlantis three days ago.

Elizabeth had woken from the fever with John sitting next to her bed. He was asleep in the chair, looking tired and care-worn. He'd been more or less glued to her side since then, hovering in a way that, had he been any other man, would probably have earned him nothing but hostility from her. Elizabeth disliked admitting to frailty of any sort, even when she was physically as weak as a kitten. She enjoyed the attention from John, though, a fact that now irritated her all the more. He'd been waiting on her hand and foot, escorting her everywhere, even to Jacob Carter's funeral.

She wasn't even going to think about what Janet had told her, about how she'd come into Elizabeth's room the morning after John's return and found the two of them sharing a bed, Elizabeth asleep in John's arms, clad only in her nightgown. Thankfully Janet had sworn never to mention that to anyone, though that didn't spare Elizabeth merciless teasing in private. Janet also swore that John had been fully clothed and his hands had been in plain sight. Elizabeth hadn't indicated to John that she knew about any of that and he, thank the Lord, had not brought it up. Some humiliations were too much.

Despite all his hovering, John had ridden off to check on the latest rumor about a Wraith sighting without a backward glance.

She'd been fooling herself. His departure only confirmed it. All these years she had been wondering, daydreaming really, about what could happen if John were to give up his wandering ways. If he could let go of his quest to destroy the Wraith gang and stay in one place longer than a few weeks at a time.

For a few days, she'd found out. John's attentiveness during her convalescence had reminded her what it was like to have someone to lean on and trust, a partner to support her. All of those fanciful daydreams had come to vivid life, in spite of her constant tiredness and headaches.

But that was all it was. Daydreams. An exception, brought on by a crisis. It hadn't been real.

John Sheppard wasn't going to change. She had been indulging herself where he was concerned for far too long. It was time to face the hard truth that he would never be the partner she wanted.

She didn't need him, of course. She had never needed any man, and after Simon, she had vowed not to accept anything less than everything she desired in a partner.

John would never be able to give her what she needed. The sooner she accepted that, the better.

She folded up her book and realized there was a sound coming from the kitchen. It sounded for all the world like... humming. Laura had gone out for a walk with Carson Beckett this evening, their first chance to be alone for any period of time since the first case of the fever. After the last patient had passed through the critical stages, Carson had slept for nearly two full days. It was no small miracle he hadn't come down sick himself.

Elizabeth was about to get up when she heard Laura approach down the hall and knock. "Come in."

Laura opened the door. One look at her face told Elizabeth everything, though that didn't stop her young friend from beaming and bursting out with the news in a breathless voice. "Miss Weir, Doctor Beckett asked me to marry him!"

***

Given that the entire town had been anticipating Carson and Laura's wedding for literally years, it was slightly surprising how excited everyone got in the planning. Janet thought it had something to do with the fever. The deaths of a number of young people, as well as Sheriff Carter, had struck a deep blow to the town's morale. Everyone, it seemed, was in need of a happy occasion.

Janet watched her two closest friends carefully over the weeks following the announcement, under pretense of concern over their health. Elizabeth was still pale and easily tired. She was too stubborn for her own safety, that woman, up and about and insisting she could run her store without help regardless of the wasted look still haunting her. Elizabeth seemed in denial of just how close to death she had come from that illness. Janet wished fervently that John Sheppard would come back to Atlantis soon. He might be able to cajole Elizabeth into resting more. Also his mere presence might ease some of the sad look that Janet occasionally saw in Elizabeth's eyes.

Sam, to all outward appearances, was doing as well as could be expected. She and her father had been close these last few years, and Janet knew all too well the sense of loss that could permeate life when a loved one was taken away. Sam continued to putter around with her projects, to bicker with Rodney McKay, and generally carried on as before. Well, Dr. McKay was actually not quite up to full strength yet himself, and his usual combative attitude towards Sam had softened, whether from illness or compassion Janet didn't know. Though Janet suspected Sam was actually happy to be arguing with Dr. McKay just for the normalcy.

The only real change in Sam was the amount of time Jack O'Neill was spending with her. The Deputy Mayor had always been close with the Carters, but now he seemed reluctant to leave Sam alone for more than a few hours. Janet wondered if the aftermath of the fever was going to affect that little romance as well, but she said nothing aloud. Unlike her usual sarcasm whenever Jack was mentioned, now Sam went quiet and serious whenever Janet approached anything close to teasing on the subject.

Janet found herself grateful that Vala Mal Doran, the café owner, was still in fighting form. Atlantis was a bit dull with both of her friends so fragile and sensitive.

***

Kate Heightmeyer was taking in the evening air when Marcus Lorne joined her. They passed the Carter house, Kate waving and Marcus nodding to Samantha as they walked.

"So, how's Miss Cadman's dress coming along?" Marcus asked.

Kate's lips twitched. Marcus knew absolutely nothing about clothing fashions, but he always asked if he knew she was working on something for someone. It was endearing in his usual, slightly obvious way. "It's finished except for a final fitting. If it wasn't, I would hardly be out wandering the town aimlessly," she said with a smile. The wedding was in just over a week.

"What about your own dress?" he asked, his eyes glancing over her in a way that always made her heart speed up. It wasn't exactly proper, but Marcus Lorne was too forthright with everyone for her to take it insultingly.

Her reaction, on the other hand, was something that she should be controlling better. This was never a problem with Mr. Davis, but then, he was an Easterner, and far more used to social conventions than the blacksmith.

"My dress?" she asked, chastising herself silently because the truth was she preferred Marcus' bluntness over all the polished compliments Mr. Davis ever offered.

"You're standing up with Miss Cadman, aren't you?"

"Yes." They paused, having reached the edge of the town's buildings. There was nothing before them except the hitching post near the doctor's offices, and the sunset behind the foothills.

"You're not taking the opportunity to make a new dress for yourself?" Marcus teased her.

Kate shook her head. "It's not important how I look on that day, only that I don't overshadow the bride."

She startled when his fingers brushed her temple, pushing a stray hair back from her face. The warm touch made her shiver. "You'd overshadow any other woman if you were in a burlap sack," he said quietly.

In all the time they had spent together, Marcus had never pushed so blatantly beyond gentle flirting. The look in his eyes, the low tone of his voice, all made her stomach flutter and her heart ache. "Marcus-" she started.

He kissed her, cutting off what she had been going to say. One of his hands came up and gently cradled the back of her head and Kate's legs grew weak. He was such a strong man, physically, but he was so careful with her.

She pushed him away. "Marcus, please-" she tried again.

He caught her hands. "Kate, you know that I care about you. I've wanted you for a long time. I want to marry you. Please, if you think you could care for me that way, just give me the chance..."

The pain was intolerable. Kate wiped her eyes and wanted to scream. "I'm sorry," she bit out, anguish making her choke. "I can't."

It took a moment for her words to sink in. He dropped her hand and stepped back. She could see the fury taking over him and was unable to do anything to stop it.

"It's him, isn't it," Marcus gritted out dangerously. "That banker. You're in love with him."

She shook her head, "No, it's not like that-"

But he turned and walked away from her.

***

Sam settled down on the porch, a heavy shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Selmac, her father's dog, curled up at her feet. The sun was going down, and the thin warmth of the day was fading as night came on. Autumn was coming on rapidly. Sam had found herself coming out to the porch every night, at least just for a minute or two, to think about her father.

It had been over a month now since the epidemic. Plans for Dr. Beckett's wedding were in full swing, though she, thankfully, had not been pressured to participate overmuch. Sam believed her father would have understood the tiny bit of relief she felt at having an excuse to bow out of some of the festivities. After all, she had inherited her private nature from him.

While she was honestly happy for the doctor and Miss Cadman, who Sam had always liked, the reaction of the town's old biddies to the upcoming wedding was grating on her nerves. It wasn't the wedding so much as the near-constant hints and leading questions about whose wedding would be next. Half the town seemed convinced that Jack O'Neill had suddenly changed so radically that he would be proposing to her any day.

Sam had known the man for a long time, and she just couldn't believe such a thing was happening. No matter what she might secretly wish in her heart, she guessed that Jack's deep concern for her welfare was more out of sympathy and loyalty to her father than some drastic change in his feelings.

Explaining that to the gossiping old ladies of the quilting circle was next to impossible, so Sam hid herself away. She was talking with Dr. McKay and his colleague, Dr. Zelenka, about the possibility of utilizing some form of windmill to power an irrigation system. She found watching the two men bicker endlessly amusing. Dr. Zelenka, who had all the courtly polish of a true European gentleman, could get downright profane when McKay pushed him. It was a relief to know she wasn't the only one who reacted that way. It was rather nice to have someone to share with when McKay was in one of his moods.

The sound of footsteps alerted her to the man approaching the porch. Selmac raised her head and wagged her tail, meaning it could only be one of two people. And Mayor Hammond was simply not as tall and much wider than the figure coming up the walk. "Deputy Mayor," she said politely.

Jack O'Neill took his hat off and leaned against the railing. "I think after all this time, we could drop the formal titles when we're alone, Miss Carter?"

He smiled at her and Sam fought not to smile back. She nodded graciously but said nothing.

Jack played with the brim of his hat for a minute. "There's going to be a meeting of the town council in two nights," he said slowly.

Sam felt the familiar pinch of grief around her heart, knowing what Jack would say next.

"I'm sure one of the items on the agenda will be replacing Jacob."

She nodded again. Life had to go on, and someone would have to take her father's place, at least on the council.

"I think it should be you," Jack said mildly. It was enough to startle Sam out of her thoughts.

"What?"

"I think you should take his place."

Sam sputtered for a moment. "I can think of half a dozen men who would be in line ahead of me, starting with Sheriff Caldwell."

Jack shrugged, irritating her with his nonchalance. "It'll be up to the town when the election is called next month. But I think you should run."

"Why?" she asked, standing up so that they were at eye level.

"You'd be a valuable asset."

Fury rose up inside of her. Sam couldn't have explained exactly where it came from, but she was lost in the grip of it immediately. "And this would have nothing to do with you wanting to make sure Kinsey can't get control of the Council by getting someone sympathetic to him on board, of course," she snapped sarcastically.

Jack's face closed down, and Sam knew that she was right. "Good night, Deputy Mayor," she said, turning and going into the house.

***

Elizabeth was at the café, working with Janet and Vala to prepare food for Laura's wedding shower. It was going to be that night, just the three of them, Sam, Kate and the happy bride. Sam had been stalking around all day, muttering to herself about Jack O'Neill. Even Janet was giving the tall blonde woman a wide berth in her current mood, focusing instead on Vala's teasing of Daniel. Daniel didn't seem to be minding the bantering nearly as much as usual.

The entire town had gone mad. It was the only explanation.

"Elizabeth," Janet murmured at her elbow. She looked up and followed Janet's gaze.

John was back, Ronon at his side. The enormous man nodded to them politely, then rolled his eyes as John eagerly climbed down from his horse and headed straight for Elizabeth.

She turned back to her work, ignoring the approaching footsteps until a hand brushed down her shoulder. She jumped at the intimate contact in such a public place, and then frowned when he used her given name, "Elizabeth, should you be on your feet?"

Janet had moved away to talk to Daniel, leaving them alone. Elizabeth could see over John's shoulder that Vala was offering Ronon something to eat. "I'm fine," she said calmly, working to keep her irritation out of her voice. As if she couldn't perform the simple task of helping prepare a meal!

"What is all this?" John asked curiously. Elizabeth realized he'd left before the big announcement.

"Dr. Beckett and Miss Cadman are getting married," she explained, focusing intently on the bread she was kneading. "We're giving Laura a wedding shower tonight."

"That's great!" John was beaming happily, and Elizabeth's mood darkened further. "When's the big day?"

"Next week."

"Isn't that kind of soon?"

"They've been courting for more or less three years, and the engagement was announced nearly three weeks ago," she said, failing this time to keep the hint of bitterness silent.

John had the decency to look slightly guilty. "I'm sorry I was gone so long."

She pulled her eyes away. She was not going to fall for his puppy dog expressions any more. "Did you learn anything useful?" As a member of the town council, it was a proper question for her to ask.

John looked annoyingly smug. "We found a trail, right where those miners said it would be. We managed to take out a small party of Wraith before they could do any more damage. Unfortunately we lost the main group four days ago, so we came back."

She nodded, covering the bread so it could rise and wiping her hands on her apron. "Well, you should go see the Sheriff and Mayor Hammond and tell them, then."

John hesitated, apparently finally realizing something was amiss. He reached out and touched her elbow. "I am sorry it took so long. I didn't mean to be gone for that many weeks, not with you still recovering."

"I'm fine," she snapped. "I don't need to be pampered or coddled. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

John looked bewildered. "I never suggested you couldn't."

She just glared, latching on to her anger to keep from feeling guilty at the surprise on his face. She'd made up her mind to end whatever foolishness was going on between them once and for all and she couldn't waver now.

John's voice dropped lower, and it took all her willpower not to shiver. "I was thinking about you every day I was gone, Elizabeth. I came back as soon as I could." He smiled in what she was sure he thought was a charming way. "How could a man not want to come back when he has you waiting for him?"

The image of Jacob Carter's pet dog flashed through Elizabeth's mind like lightning. Yes, that was her, faithful and loyal and utterly stupid to be waiting eternally for a man who would never stay. "So that's how you think of me?" she bit out angrily. "As some kind of amusing pet?"

John gaped but before he could speak, she lifted her hand and slapped him across the face as hard as she could.

Then she turned and marched away without looking back.

***

John stood in frozen shock for a long moment, his cheek stinging and his eyes actually watering from the force of the slap. He heard the gasp and the muttering behind him as the little tableau played out.

What in hell was going on?

He took two steps forward with every intention of chasing Elizabeth down and dragging her someplace private until she explained herself, but found his path blocked by the schoolteacher.

"I think Miss Weir made it very clear your company isn't welcome just now," Daniel Jackson said. His voice sounded calm, but John thought he detected a slightly smug quality to it. John felt his temper slip further.

"What's between me and Miss Weir is private, thanks," he said, starting to go around Jackson.

The other man caught his arm with a surprisingly strong grip and stopped him. "You'll leave her alone, Sheppard."

John blinked. He'd never thought of Jackson as much of a fighter, but there was an intense look on the man's face that warned him off. John recalled abruptly that there had been rumors about Elizabeth and Dr. Jackson once upon a time, which was the real reason why John had never liked the man much.

The expression on Jackson's face was clear. He wasn't going to let John pass.

John backed off, turning in the opposite direction from where Elizabeth had gone. He focused his gaze on his horse, ignoring the looks and whispers going on around him.

Ronon looked at him curiously. "What did you do?"

John glanced over his shoulder, but Elizabeth was no longer in sight. "I have no idea," he muttered crossly, mounting his horse.

For the past three weeks, he'd been hard pressed to think about anything other than Elizabeth, when waking or sleeping. He wouldn't have left Atlantis at all but when news of the Wraith hunting party had come, he had to follow up on it. This was a chance to strike at the Wraith gang, maybe find out what they were up to.

And in the back of his mind, defeating the Wraith had become tangled up with Elizabeth, being able to stay with her for good. So he'd gone, and something had happened during those three weeks to get her good and furious with him.

He wasn't leaving Atlantis again until he found out what.


	2. Deals With Weddings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bridal shower and a surprise visitor arrives in Atlantis.

In retrospect, Vala admitted to herself, she probably shouldn't have used her special punch recipe for the bridal shower.

Or she should have reduced the alcohol in the recipe first.

Elizabeth and Sam were trading rants, while Janet looked on, her expression torn between amusement and worry. Meanwhile Laura was watching Kate closely. The blonde woman was staring at her cup, looking lost.

Sam held up a long finger. "The problem with all men is that they are inconsold... inconscio..."

"Inconsiderate?" Elizabeth put in. Vala shared a look with Janet. Of course even when tipsy Elizabeth could use big words.

"Yes!" Sam said, pointing at Elizabeth. "That. They're that. They never give any thought to anyone but their own convenience. Never any due consideration to how other people feel."

"What did Jack do?" Elizabeth asked wryly.

Sam sulked for a moment and took another large swallow of punch. She had consumed the most, at least so far. It showed in how bright red her face was getting. "He stopped by last night, acting perfectly innocent, and then told me I should run for my father's position on the town council."

There was a silence. Elizabeth looked at Janet, then at Vala and then back at Sam, who glared suspiciously. "What?"

"That's not a bad idea," Janet put in mildly, then winced as Sam's eyes cut to her.

"You know why Jack even suggested it, don't you?" Sam demanded.

"I'm sure he's worried about Kavanagh. Kinsey is already pushing for him to run and discouraging other people, including Sheriff Caldwell," Elizabeth said. Vala made a mental note to find out how Elizabeth had found out about that state of affairs. The only person who could have told her such a thing was Caldwell himself.

"Exactly!" Sam yelled, fist thumping the table. "Did he even stop to think what it would sound like to me?"

"You just told us what it sounded like to you," Janet said, confused.

"Right. He didn't even stop to think that he was talking to a daughter that had just lost her father. All he cares about is what is easiest for himself."

"Well, himself and the rest of the town," Vala said and then pasted on an innocent look when Sam turned her way. She refilled Sam's cup again.

"You'd be a good addition to the council," Elizabeth said. There was a gleam in her eye that made Vala a little nervous. "There are plenty of times when Mayor Hammond and I are having trouble with both Jack and Kinsey and you'd be less likely to side with Jack on principle..." Vala realized Elizabeth's speculative look had been the same one she'd seen on a gambler who thought he had rigged a game of high-stakes poker with a notorious gunslinger.

Thinking of what had happened to that gambler, Vala downed a half a cup of punch in one swallow.

"Don't you start," Sam said, wagging a finger at Elizabeth.

"However obnoxious he was about it, just because Jack is an idiot doesn't mean you should do it," Elizabeth said with deceptive calm. Vala frowned. It seemed Elizabeth was slightly better at pretending to hold her liquor than Sam, but she was still only pretending.

"It doesn't mean she _shouldn't_ do it either," Janet corrected.

Elizabeth frowned, like she was going to object that that was what she said, then shrugged and took a cookie from the plate.

Sam paused. "Okay, I'll think about it. But if I do it, we tell everyone it was because of something other than Jack. Because he's still an inconsiderate bastard."

Elizabeth actually toasted Sam for that. "All men."

"All men." Vala and Janet joined in for form's sake.

Laura looked rather bewildered at seeing the leading women in the town, not to mention her boss, turning her wedding shower into a man-hating party.

Janet caught Laura's expression. "Except for Carson," she added kindly.

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, Carson. He's a good man. And that Dr. Zelenka. They're not..." her sense of propriety kicked in. "You know."

Sam's didn't. "Not bastards. Of course, they're both European," she added, as if that explained the difference. Though, Vala had to admit, it was possible that it did.

Janet apparently decided to dare the danger and turned to Elizabeth. "Speaking of men who are undeserving, inconsiderate bastards..." she said leadingly.

Elizabeth's face darkened alarmingly and she hunched over the table, cradling her cup. "I don't want to talk about it."

Sam turned Elizabeth's earlier question around. "What'd John do?"

Vala prudently refilled Elizabeth's cup as the mercantile owner seemed to be debating telling them.

Elizabeth sipped her punch and then snorted. "Nothing. John didn't do anything. Just as always."

Janet was clearly as clueless as Vala was. Sam was looking determined to be sympathetic out of pure loyalty.

"He looked... upset... when you slapped him," Vala said tentatively. Elizabeth packed one hell of a wallop when she wanted to.

Elizabeth nodded. "Oh he looks. He even says things... but he never _does_ anything. When it comes down to it, he always leaves."

"But he comes back," Janet said, shaking Elizabeth's shoulder. "He always comes back and it's not from any burning desire to see me, Elizabeth."

"You don't know John Sheppard." Elizabeth took another swig of punch and Vala settled herself more comfortably because she suspected this was going to be a long speech. "He loves the chase. He likes not knowing where he'll sleep tomorrow night, or what bed he'll be in. If he had any woman for more than ten seconds he'd become bored. He'll never stop, don't you understand? Right now he's chasing the Wraith gang. After that, it will be something else. Sure he comes back here. He's had-" Elizabeth appeared to choke momentarily. "His faithful little adoring woman waiting for whatever scrap of attention he felt like doling out."

Janet raised a hand, her face starting to show deep alarm, but Elizabeth barreled right over her. "And as long as he could go back to chasing Wraith, he didn't have to commit to anything. Best of both worlds. He could show up and act considerate and worried and play the hero for a while, and when it no longer suited him, he could just leave, knowing nothing would change while he was heaven only knows where and doing who knows what. Well, that's over now. I am not going to waste one more minute of my time on that man."

"Amen," Sam said, pounding the table. Vala dearly wanted to make Sam stop encouraging Elizabeth in this foolishness. She'd been thinking all these years that Elizabeth had been playing Sheppard so smartly. He was the type who would never agree to anything unless he was convinced it was his own idea. Letting him take his time and get used to the fact that he wanted to marry her had been, in Vala's opinion, a brilliant way to manage the man. Apparently she'd been rather wrong in that assessment.

Regardless of Vala's mental pleas, Sam didn't stop. "They expect us to just keep waiting, faithful and pure and never making a fuss, never demanding anything."

"Like horses. Or dogs," Elizabeth put in venomously.

Sam nodded. "And we're supposed to be grateful when they show the slightest scrap of attention-"

"And ignore any other man who might be infinitely more suitable, or polite, or simply respectable-"

"To hang on their every word and tolerate all their whims and not be bothered by never having any idea what goes on in their heads!" Sam thundered.

"As though we have no existence of our own!" Elizabeth's voice echoed off the rafters. "No lives that don't revolve around waiting for their next random appearance in our lives!"

"It's so unfair! It's intolt... intulm-"

"Intolerable!" Elizabeth shouted.

"Intolerable," Sam agreed.

The ranting was broken by the sound of a crash and a sob. Kate Heightmeyer had knocked her glass to the floor and begun to cry.

Arrested mid-rant, Elizabeth and Sam froze. Laura hesitantly put an arm around the weeping woman's shoulders. "Kate, honey, what is it?"

Kate raised her tear-stained face from her hands. "Marcus asked me to marry him last night-" A shocked gasp went up from all of them. "And I had to tell him no. But I think I'm in love with him!"

Definitely no punch next time, Vala thought to herself.

***

Rodney was very confused when Daniel Jackson sat down at his table at the café the next morning. He'd spent some time around the school teacher but their interests were very different. For one thing, Jackson actually seemed to like talking to other people, especially children. It wasn't that Rodney disliked children, but their incessant stupid questions grated on him. He knew he wasn't supposed to be rude to them. It was just that in the face of eternal repetitions of "But why?" his temper usually snapped.

"Um, hello."

"Dr. McKay, I need your help," Jackson said without preamble.

Rodney waited, a sinking feeling in his stomach that no good could come of this.

"School's coming in shortly," Jackson said, nodding towards the school house. "I won't be able to keep an eye on Miss Weir."

"Why do you need to keep an eye on Miss Weir?" Rodney asked, and then paled. "She's not sick again, is she?"

He never wanted to live through an epidemic like that again. He was still having nightmares about being hopelessly weak and unable to even drag himself across the floor. Meanwhile some big, masked creature with blue arms was chasing him. It was all deeply disturbing.

"No, no, she's not ill. It's just..." Jackson trailed off and then shifted towards Rodney in an almost conspiratorial fashion. It made Rodney uncomfortable. He didn't deal well with intrigues. "You heard what happened in the café yesterday?"

"Maybe?" because he had heard some people conversing about Elizabeth Weir hauling off and hitting John Sheppard in the face. He'd never been sure what to make of the rumors about her and the gun fighter. It seemed so incongruous to Rodney, that a woman like Elizabeth would bother with a man who came and left every 10 minutes, especially when she could have had her pick of nearly any man in town. But then women in his experience were never particularly logical about things like that.

"She slapped Mr. Sheppard, in plain view of everyone," Daniel said. Rodney couldn't tell if he sounded more anxious or gleeful. "It's clear she wants nothing to do with him, but Sheppard is a stubborn man. He's going to try and corner Miss Weir and she shouldn't be alone with him right now."

Rodney thought to himself that Elizabeth had proven more than once that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself and slapping Sheppard only proved that again. "So what do you need me to do?"

"Keep Sheppard away from her."

"How?" Rodney demanded. Sheppard was a gunslinger for heaven's sake. His best friend was a throwback to cavemen who was twice as tall as most of the men in town. What was Rodney supposed to do?

"It doesn't matter," Jackson waved that issue aside as irrelevant and fixed Rodney with a look. "You like Miss Weir, don't you?"

Rodney swallowed, his face flaming with heat. He did like Elizabeth immensely. While not in Samantha Carter's league (though Rodney would die before admitting that aloud) she was tremendously intelligent, and Elizabeth had always been kind to him. She had been the one to come check on him, as well as Radek, during the fever before she herself became ill. Aside from Radek and Carson, she was one of the few people in Atlantis Rodney considered a friend. "Of course," he choked out.

Jackson's expression clearly said, "Well then?"

Rodney sighed.

***

The brittle silence in the mercantile was partly due to what Kate had said the previous night, and partly to the worst headache Elizabeth had ever had in her entire life. Recovering from the fever had not made her feel like this.

She was never drinking anything Vala Mal Doran handed her again. Not even water.

Elizabeth was working through an inventory with painful slowness. She groaned softly, realizing she had to climb up on the stepstool to count the tins on the upper shelves.

Laura was working silently at the register. Elizabeth would have asked her to do it, but the young woman's face was fixed on her task and her eyes were far away from Atlantis. Clearly what Kate had told them last night had upset her. It had upset them all, but they had agreed not to discuss it anywhere they might be overheard.

Elizabeth braced herself to bend down and grab the stool when two strong, male hands did it for her. "Um, did you need this somewhere?" Rodney McKay asked awkwardly.

As if she hadn't enough to deal with that morning, Rodney had been lurking – there was no other word for it, really – in the store for well over an hour. He wasn't purchasing anything, and he wasn't following Elizabeth around harping on how important it was that his order for whatever esoteric materials he needed be sent immediately and arrive yesterday. He was simply standing about looking uncomfortable.

Elizabeth's head hurt too much to argue. "Yes, thank you. I need that over there," she gestured. He put the stool down and looked at her.

"Are you sure it's a good idea for you to climb up on this thing right now?"

She blinked. It was slightly rude of him to say so, but she could hardly deny it. "Honestly? No."

"Um, well, what do you need?" he asked.

Elizabeth told him and was surprised at his eagerness to help. "Are you sure, Dr. McKay? Isn't there something else more important to take up your time?" Heaven knew she had heard enough of his pronouncements about his work, and heard Sam complaining about his pronouncements.

He turned pink with embarrassment. "Ah, well, not really. I mean, not this particular morning."

She knew he was lying. Rodney McKay would be the worst card player on the face of the earth. But frankly, she was too tired to feel anything but gratitude.

Thanks to his help, she got the inventory done quite swiftly. Once he had something to do with himself, Rodney visibly relaxed. They chatted about the wedding, where Rodney was standing up as Carson's best man, and about business in the town, the railroad lines, any number of inconsequential things.

Then John walked in. It was hard to say who turned more pale, Elizabeth or Rodney.

John's eyes were hard and his mouth tightened visibly as he said, "Miss Weir."

She nodded, her stomach rolling. She could not face this right now. "Mr. Sheppard. I'm a bit busy at the moment. If you need something, Miss Cadman-"

He stepped forward and took her elbow. "No, I don't think Miss Cadman can help. We need to talk."

Elizabeth knew John was about to drag her into her office when suddenly Rodney placed himself between her and John. "Don't," Rodney said emphatically, removing John's hand from her arm.

Daniel, Elizabeth realized belatedly. Daniel had asked or compelled Rodney to laze about the store and keep an eye on her while he was teaching, knowing that John would wait until school was in to seek her out.

Part of her was infuriated that the men in her life, even the ones who had no romantic notions about her whatsoever, felt she needed to be coddled. The rest of her was pathetically glad that Rodney was there for her to hide behind.

"McKay," John said, his voice holding a strong warning tone.

Rodney folded his arms over his chest. "Oh, what? Will you shoot me? She doesn't want to talk to you."

"This isn't your business." John looked past Rodney and right at her. "Elizabeth-" He broke off and frowned. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, thank you," she said with as much dignity as she could muster. It apparently wasn't enough because he kept staring at her.

"You're hung over!" John blurted out.

"I most certainly am not!" Elizabeth attempted to shout back. The loud noise made her wince. Wonderful, now Rodney was staring at her as well.

"I've had that look on my own face, don't tell me you're not," John shot back. "My God, Elizabeth, I can't believe you would-"

"Excuse me?" a new voice cut in to the argument.

A man was standing on the threshold of the mercantile. He was wearing a heavy travelers coat and carrying a suitcase. He took his hat off and glanced around. There was a slightly unctuous air about him that put Elizabeth off immediately. But he was in her store. "Yes, can I help you?"

"I hope so," the man said smoothly. "I'm looking for Katherine Samuels."

Elizabeth used every bit of strength she possessed to keep her face blank. Behind the man, Laura turned pale. "I'm sorry I don't think there's anyone in town by that name," Elizabeth said as calmly as possible. Completely without thought, she moved a step closer to Rodney and John.

"Ah, yes. You would know her as Katherine Heightmeyer."

"Who's asking?" Laura demanded suspiciously.

The man smiled the most unpleasant smile Elizabeth had ever seen. "Her husband."


	3. Deals With Weddings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fairy tale and a shoot-out.

John was getting the feeling that Elizabeth and Miss Cadman knew more than they were letting on.

The man standing in Elizabeth's store apparently thought the same thing. "I see you know the lady I'm speaking of, even if you don't want to admit to it." There was the slightest hesitation over the word "lady," which made the hackles on John's neck rise. "I wonder if you'd at least be so kind as to point me in the right direction?"

McKay raised a hand, finger extended. "If you're her husband, how is that you don't know where to look yourself? Unless she isn't exactly expecting you," he concluded witheringly, answering his own question.

"No, I imagine Mrs. Samuels will be somewhat surprised to see me," the stranger answered smoothly. "You see, my dear Katherine disappeared several years ago and until just recently I believed her to be dead. Of course, I came straightaway to find her."

"Was she under the same misapprehension? Or is it possible she didn't desire to be found?" McKay said sarcastically.

Elizabeth glanced at McKay, her expression urging him to be quiet. She was maintaining her composure but John knew Elizabeth too well after all this time. Underneath her neutral expression he saw an emotion he never liked seeing on her face: fear. She was afraid of this man for some reason. And however she was feeling about John himself just now, that was enough for him to take a step forward.

"Sorry, we can't help you," he said, casually resting his hand at his side, within easy reach of his gun.

This Mr. Samuels wasn't stupid. He flashed a glance at John and then replaced his hat. "Perhaps I'll have better luck elsewhere in town."

The moment he was gone, Elizabeth seized John's arm urgently. "We have to find Kate, now."

***

She hadn't slept much the night before. That combined with whatever it was that Miss Mal Doran put in her punch had left Kate feeling tremendously ill all morning. She thought perhaps eating something might ease the feeling, but approaching the café the mere smell of food caused her stomach to roll unpleasantly. She stopped, turning abruptly away, and her eye caught on the blacksmith shop.

Marcus was watching her.

Grief and guilt washed through her. She wanted to run to him, to tell him she was sorry, that she did care for him. That she had never intended anything like this to happen. Mostly she wanted to tell him why she had to say no.

He turned back to his work and her heart clenched.

A few months ago she noticed that the usual casual flirtations between them had been changing. For so long, they had been only friends. She hadn't taken his attentions all that seriously. Half of the women in Atlantis warned her that he was a serial flirt. The rumor was he had even tried working his charms on Miss Weir for a time.

But she noticed something, some indefinable change in him when he spoke to her. And she noticed the way her own body would respond to the low timbre of his voice, and the warmth in his eyes. When Mr. Davis had appeared in Atlantis and begun to cast looks her way, it seemed the perfect method of distancing herself from Marcus. And truth be told it was flattering to have them both courting her. But she had never wanted to mislead Marcus into thinking anything serious could ever happen between them, and allowing Mr. Davis' attentions had seemed a good solution.

She could not have been more wrong. The presence of a rival had only intensified Marcus' pursuit of her, leading to his proposal.

Kate was stunned at the strength of her own feelings. Without realizing it, she had fallen in love with him. When Marcus kissed her, she was a young girl again, longing for the attentions of a handsome young man she could trust with her body and her heart. It was as though he had the power to take all the years, and the hurts, away with just a touch.

And she could never have that. The painful truth battered at her.

She finally turned away towards her own little shop. She loved it so, loved having that space to call her own, knowing that her work was valued and useful, that she was part of something. And now, she thought, she might have to leave it. She couldn't live day by day watching Marcus grow to hate her, or worse see him court and marry some other woman.

Tears stung her eyes and she stumbled. Someone reached out to steady her and she looked up to say thank you.

But when she saw the face of the man looking down at her, her voice died in her throat.

"Hello, Katherine."

***

Even through the pounding feeling inside her skull, Sam noticed Kate Heightmeyer walk towards the café. Sam was eating lunch by herself, Janet having been summoned to attend to Mr. Bryerson's wife early this morning. Jack was, thankfully, nowhere to be seen today. Sam wasn't sure her self-control had recovered sufficiently to keep down her temper if she saw him. She was greatly relieved that McKay had not appeared today either. She'd spent the morning with Dr. Zelenka, who she could count on to be polite and above all keep his voice down, which was a relief as every loud noise seemed to reverberate through her head painfully.

Kate approached and then turned away abruptly. Sam saw her pause, her head turned in the direction of the blacksmith shop, before she walked on. Sam sighed. What Kate had told them the night before, about Marcus Lorne's proposal and about herself, made Sam's own problems seem rather foolish by comparison.

Sam also saw the unfamiliar man accost Kate.

No one else was paying much attention to the couple save the Sheriff. As a replacement for her own father, Caldwell was nothing in Sam's opinion, but the man always, always kept a wary eye on outsiders. Given the look of fear and shock on Kate's face, and her own corresponding alarm, Sam felt that this time Caldwell's paranoia might not be a bad thing.

Sudden suspicion of who the stranger might be made Sam rise. In that moment a number of things happened. The argument between Kate and the man intensified and he grabbed her arm sharply. Sam caught sight of Elizabeth and Laura hurrying up the street, flanked by Rodney and Mr. Sheppard. The raised voices from the argument had attracted attention, and nearly everyone in the café turned to look.

Then the stranger said something that cause Kate to cry out, "No!" and attempt to pull her arm free.

He backhanded her across the face. Kate fell into the dirt.

For the first time perhaps ever, Ronon Dex didn't move fast enough. Marcus Lorne blindsided the stranger and tackled him to the ground almost before anyone could blink. Lorne's hands closed about the man's throat immediately.

Chaos erupted as everyone ran forward. Caldwell and his deputy grabbed Lorne, while Mr. Dex, who had been seated on the far end of the café from Sam, moved not to the struggle but to Kate, who was being helped to her feet by Elizabeth and Rodney.

Caldwell and Bates were strong men, but their combined strength was having no apparent effect on stopping Lorne's attack. It was only when Mr. Teal'c appeared and helped them that they managed to pry Lorne's fingers loose. It took all three of them to hold Lorne back, but the entire town heard his threat, "If you touch her again I will kill you!"

In the center of the gathered crowd, the stranger staggered to his feet. No one seemed interested in helping him get up. He glanced around and noticed Caldwell's badge. "Sheriff, I want this man arrested!" he said, rubbing his red neck.

Lorne stopped struggling at that and all eyes cut to Caldwell. The Sheriff glanced from the newcomer to Kate to the Mayor, who had just appeared on the scene. "Take him to the jail cell for now," Caldwell ordered.

Bates and Teal'c dragged a protesting Lorne away.

"What is going on here?" Mayor Hammond demanded.

Before anyone could answer, Caldwell raised a hand. "I think we would be better off discussing this in private, sir."

Sam was close enough now to share a worried glance with Elizabeth.

The Mayor agreed and he and Caldwell began to usher Kate and the man towards the meeting hall. The stranger hung back, pointedly waiting for Kate to go first, but Ronon Dex stepped in between them and inclined his head in a threatening manner. With a glare, the man started walking. Elizabeth and Laura supported Kate. Sam fell into step with Rodney and Mr. Sheppard as they trailed behind.

***

Closing the doors was a rather pointless gesture on Caldwell's part, John thought. The sheer number of people who had gone into the meeting hall meant nothing said in here was going to stay secret for very long.

The Mayor turned to Mr. Samuels. "I think, sir, you'd better state your business."

"And your reasons for assaulting a citizen of Atlantis on a public street," Elizabeth put in. John had to admire the steel in her voice.

Samuels shot a look at Elizabeth that made John want to follow Lorne's example, but the man turned back to the Mayor. "Sir, my name is Bertram Samuels. And that woman-" he pointed to Kate, "Is my wife, Katherine Tillman Samuels."

All eyes cut to Kate. John had seen men after a battle look much the same as she did just now. Laura Cadman put her hands on Kate's shoulders and glared at Samuels defiantly. "So you say."

"What brings you here, though?" Hammond asked calmly. "I assume your arrival in town isn't an accident."

"No, it's not. I've believed my dear wife to be dead for some time now. It was only through a chance conversation that I discovered she was still alive." He looked at Kate. "You see, Mrs. Samuels wrote a letter to her younger sister not long ago.

Kate started in shock. "She wouldn't have!" she blurted out.

Samuels smirked. "I happened to call on the lady and saw the envelope in very familiar handwriting. It wasn't long before I had the full story."

If possible, Kate's face grew even more pale. John had a strong suspicion the confession from Kate's sister hadn't been given willingly or without pain.

Samuels turned to Hammond with a pathetic expression. "Six years ago, my house was burned down and I believed my wife of two years had perished in the fire. I should have known that it was only another deception. From the day we met, Katherine Tillman lied to me. She pretended to love me, pretended to want to be my wife. She manipulated me into a marriage contract and then took advantage of my trust. I have no idea how much money she managed to escape with when she burned the house down to falsify her own death-"

Kate was squirming, her face now starting to flush with anger. It was only Laura's fingers digging into her shoulder that kept her quiet.

"And now she's been lying to you good people for who knows how long. It's apparent she told no one that she was married, or anything about her past life before arriving in your fair town."

"If she's such a horrible wife, it's strange that you want her back badly enough to travel all the way here," McKay interrupted, his tone of voice more snide and vicious than John had ever heard it, which was saying something.

Samuels spread his hands and tried to look righteous. "I came here because I was afraid of what kind of foul deeds Katherine might be plotting. I was the only person who could warn you, and try to save her from herself."

Elizabeth moved restlessly but Hammond ignored her for the moment. "What exactly is it that you want, Mr. Samuels?"

"To take her home, of course. Relieve you all of the danger she poses to your lovely town."

Falseness dripped off Samuels like water. But Hammond looked at Caldwell and they both looked towards Kate. Before either of them could speak, though, Elizabeth stepped forward.

"Mayor?"

"Miss Weir," Hammond nodded in unofficial recognition.

"Perhaps you would allow me to tell you a story," Elizabeth said calmly.

Samuels started to protest but every man in the room glared at him and he sat down with bad grace.

Elizabeth took the floor. John saw the anger burning in her and in the back of his mind remembered the fire in her eyes when she'd slapped him. Even furious she was beautiful.

Elizabeth looked at Samuels contemptuously. "Once upon a time, a young woman was living with her mother and younger sister in a small town not far from Charleston, West Virginia. The girl's father and brothers had all died in the war, and her mother's health was failing. The girl did every bit of honest work within her reach, but debts were piling up. She couldn't care for her mother or sister properly, and they had no relatives to appeal to for help.

"The girl met a businessman from Charleston. He began to pay visits to the house, and arranged for the girl to get work enough to help keep her family together. He gave her gifts and eventually made her an offer of marriage. He promised to provide for her, and to ensure that her mother and sister would be able to keep the family home.

"The girl accepted his proposal."

Elizabeth was pacing like a lawyer before a judge. "She discovered not long after the marriage that the man had deceived her. He had, in fact, been married twice already, both times to young women from poor families. Both women had died within a few years of the wedding, and both from violent accidents. One supposedly fell down a set of stairs. The other was hit by a runaway horse. There were whispers among the people in town about the man, and no respectable family would welcome him as a potential suitor for their daughters.

"It wasn't long before the young woman realized the magnitude of her error, but by then it was already too late. The mortgage for the family home was in her new husband's possession, and her mother's health was continuing to deteriorate. She was trapped."

Ronon shifted in a way that made John nervous. Only the Wraith could get Ronon's temper up faster than men who beat their wives or any woman.

"The one stroke of good luck was that the girl's sister had fallen in love with a young man who was training to be a fireman. They married and the girl moved to another city with her husband. Not long after that the mother died, leaving the girl completely alone. One night, while her husband was likely out drinking and gambling his meager savings away, the girl was upstairs in their house. Her arm was hurt because of an-" Elizabeth's face grew dark, "accident... of her own. She knocked over a lamp, which caught the curtains on fire. Quickly surrounded by flames, she fled the house and was so terrified and disoriented, she didn't stop running until she collapsed. She when she regained consciousness, it was dawn, and she was in a strange field with no clear idea of her bearings.

"The field belonged to a war widow. The widow's hired man found the girl and helped her to the house. The girl realized that fate had offered her a chance to escape from what certainly would have been a short, brutal and terribly lonely existence. She used her great-grandmother's last name and never looked back.

"At least, not until a newspaper report of a fire at a hospital in Lexington, Kentucky detailed a number of firefighters who were killed attempting to save patients, and she read the news of her brother-in-law's death."

Elizabeth's arms were folded across her chest. She looked from the Mayor to Caldwell and the others, leaving them to fill in the rest for themselves.

Samuels had been struggling to maintain his composure, especially when Elizabeth mentioned his other two dead wives. Now he looked dubiously at Hammond. "An interesting fairy tale, but surely, Mr. Mayor, the fanciful spinnings of some female won't distract you or the Sheriff from the legal realities?"

"The 'female' of whom you speak is a respected business owner and member of the town council," Ronon growled.

Samuels looked a little surprised but he pressed on. "She's my wife, making her my property." The look Ronon gave him then would've killed Samuels on the spot if it were possible. Samuels swallowed and amended, "My responsibility. Her place is with me, not living here, passing herself off as an unmarried woman on the other side of the continent."

"This woman is a member of this community and so far we have only your word that she is your wife and no proof that her life won't be in danger if we hand her over to you," Miss Carter said vehemently. John glanced at Kate and winced. Her expression was that of a hunted animal caught in a trap it had thought it had escaped.

Silence fell and everyone look at Caldwell expectantly.

Caldwell looked from Samuels to Kate and spoke slowly. "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do."

Elizabeth stepped forward, her voice low, "Stephen. You can't..." She shook her head, her eyes pleading with the sheriff.

"What would you have me do, Elizabeth?" Caldwell exploded, anger making him forget politeness. "I swore to uphold the law here. He's her husband and I have no ground to stand on keeping her from him."

Elizabeth, Miss Carter and Laura Cadman looked at Caldwell with incredible fury.

"Sheriff Caldwell is correct, I'm afraid," the mayor put in sadly. "Legally we have no right to interfere."

Miss Carter stepped forward but Elizabeth caught her arm and shook her head minutely.

Samuels stood up, his expression sickeningly gleeful. "Thank you, gentlemen. And now, my dear, I think we should go to your house and pack your things-"

"Just a moment, Mr. Samuels," Caldwell interrupted. "There's another matter that needs to be settled first."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You assaulted Miss Heightmeyer," Caldwell leaned on Kate's unmarried name slightly, "In full public view. Now, wife or not, assault is against the law here."

"You can't tell me you're going to arrest me!" Samuels protested.

Caldwell took a step forward. The Sheriff was sufficiently tall that Samuels swallowed audibly. "You can either serve out your time in the town jail or pay the fine, but yes, Mr. Samuels, you are under arrest."

Squawking in protest, Samuels was marched out by a grim-looking Caldwell. The Mayor looked at them all oddly. "I am truly sorry," he said, though there was a strange tone in his voice. He followed the Sheriff out the door, leaving Elizabeth, Kate, Miss Cadman and Miss Carter with himself, Ronon and McKay.

John saw Elizabeth and Miss Carter share a look and Elizabeth said, "You see why we need you." He had no idea what that was about, but Miss Carter nodded fiercely.

"Oh, you'll have me," she said adamantly.

Elizabeth drew a deep breath and turned to him and Ronon. John put whatever was going on between himself and Elizabeth aside for the moment. He knew from the anger radiating from Ronon and the lift of McKay's jaw that none of them were prepared to simply allow this slimy bastard to take Kate away from Atlantis against her will, not without a fight.

He opened his mouth just as Elizabeth began to speak. "I have an idea," they said together.

***

Stephen Caldwell sent Deputy Bates with Samuels to the bank, to wire someone for the money to pay his fine. He went back into his office, where Lorne jumped to his feet as soon as he entered. The blacksmith approached the bars of one of the two holding cells.

"Sheriff, you have to let me out of here!" Lorne started. "You know what happened. That bastard hit Miss Heightmeyer-"

"That bastard is her husband, Mr. Lorne," Caldwell said heavily.

Lorne went still for a moment.

Caldwell poured water from the pitcher into a cup and downed it, and then sat down at his desk. This wasn't the worst day of his life but it was close. He would never forget the look of betrayal in Elizabeth Weir's eyes. His only consolation was that he'd been able to tie Samuels up for the rest of the day. He had no doubt that Miss Weir and her friends were up to something already, but as long as he was in his office, he wouldn't know about it until it was too late to stop them.

It wasn't much, but it was something.

Lorne's voice was much quieter when he spoke again, but he only repeated himself. "You have to let me out of here, Caldwell. Whatever that son of a bitch came here for, it won't be good for Kate. I need to get to her-"

"And do what?" Caldwell barked. "The first thing you'll do is go for your gun."

"If I have to," Lorne snapped.

Caldwell sighed. If their positions were reversed, if he wasn't the sheriff, Stephen knew he'd be thinking the exact same thing.

Lorne changed tactics. "There's a fine for assault, right? I can pay it, instead of serving the jail time?"

"And if Samuels turns up dead? You'll be right back here, only this time you'll have a murder charge around your neck. Simple assault is a one-week sentence. Murder's still a hanging offense in Atlantis, Lorne."

"I'll take the risk," the young man said bravely.

Stephen shook his head. "I won't."

***

It had taken a ridiculous amount of time to receive the money for this ludicrous fine. Samuels wasn't sure if this entire dirty town was full of idiots or just too cut off from civilization to function properly. The clerk at the bank had been pathetically inept at both handling the transfer and the paperwork required. The young man kept looking at the clock, as though he was waiting for something.

Finally, he'd gotten the money, gone to the sheriff's office and paid the fine and was released. The man who'd attempted to kill him was sitting in one of the cells, staring at the wall. Probably some cuckolded youth Katherine had wound around her pretty fingers. He'd shot a venomous look in Samuels' direction. Bertram had just tipped his hat as he walked out.

Unsurprisingly, no one in town was particularly helpful with finding Katherine's home. When he did reach it, there was no answer. He went around the back of the building and broke the door lock. All the furniture was still in place, but the clothing was gone from the closets, and there were no brushes or combs on the vanity.

Suspicion formed in his gut and he went to the saloon and paid for a room for the night. The saloon owner was a grumpy, unpleasant fellow so Bertram bided his time in his room until the sun was down and it was nearing midnight.

He prowled the back alleys of the town quietly, making his way towards the mercantile. That mouthy store owner was sure to be the one behind whatever plan these people had cooked up.

He was not disappointed. The second-floor door opened. He recognized the towering Neanderthal from this afternoon as he came out and scouted the street. Bertram slunk further back into the shadows, unseen.

The primitive turned and said something into the darkened doorway. A slight, shorter figure came out, followed by the gunslinger with the dark hair. Or was it? The second man was about as tall but seemed stockier in the low light. Bertram could see the pale face of the uppity bitch, Miss Weir, in the doorway, squeezing the hand of the female going down the stairs. He didn't see the blonde woman or that other man with the slanted mouth. He'd spotted the blonde earlier, coming out of the bank as he'd been going in. But he couldn't worry about them now.

They were trying to spirit Katherine out of town under cover of darkness.

With a yell, he burst from his hiding place, gun drawn. "You won't escape me that easily, Katherine," he shouted, aiming for the cloaked figure.

Two bullets struck his chest and he swayed momentarily. He could have sworn neither of the men before him had had time to aim.

Dimly he was aware of footsteps coming from his left. He looked up and knew he was dying.

The Neanderthal and another man – the gunslinger? – were walking towards him. His fading sight focused on the woman behind them.

He raised his gun and fired wildly, earning himself several more shots in the arms and chest. But he heard the female cry of pain and had the satisfaction of knowing his pathetic wife wouldn't live to escape him.

His last vision was of her falling to the ground. Something seemed wrong, though, with the image, as her cloak fell from her head.

The last thing Bertram Samuels registered in this life was a man screaming in anguish.

"Laura!"


	4. Deals With Weddings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reflections, resolutions and one last proposal

Stephen Caldwell folded his arms and regarded the body lying in the alley behind Weir's Mercantile. Then he turned his gaze on the two unrepentant gunslingers standing before him.

The shots being fired in the middle of the night had caused an uproar as half the town panicked, thinking a Wraith attack was happening. People were still milling about, but thankfully, Mr. Teal'c and the deputies had kept the bulk of the crowd away from the alley.

A small group of people were no doubt gathered outside Dr. Beckett's office, where Miss Cadman had been rushed, bleeding from a gunshot wound. There had been no word yet on her condition. Miss Weir had gone to fetch the midwife, leaving Sheppard and Dex to explain what had happened.

Sheppard shrugged. "I was walking down the alley when I saw Samuels coming towards me. He was looking up at the back of the mercantile, and when he saw Dex, Doc Beckett and Miss Cadman come out, he went crazy. He pulled a gun and started yelling. He seemed to think Miss Cadman was his wife."

Stephen raised his eyebrows. "And that impression couldn't have had anything to do with the fact that Miss Cadman was wearing Miss Heightmeyer's cloak?" he asked, not really expecting an answer.

"Could've been drunk," Dex rumbled.

Stephen rubbed his face wearily.

"I pulled my gun and told him to put his down, but he kept yelling, so I fired," Sheppard concluded.

"He shot Miss Cadman, so I fired too," Dex added.

Samuels had been shot multiple times. That he'd managed to hit Miss Cadman when he was already badly wounded was a result of sheer bad luck, probably.

There could be questions. It was always possible that some relative or some official would start asking questions. Stephen decided that he didn't especially care. "So it was self-defense," he said calmly.

Sheppard hesitated for a second and then nodded in agreement, "Self-defense."

***

Marcus was pacing in his cell. He could just see out the windows that the sky was lightening with dawn. He'd been woken from a restless sleep by the sound of shots being fired. Stackhouse, the deputy on duty in the night, had taken off, leaving Marcus stuck in here with no way of knowing what was happening. It was driving him mad.

He reached the far wall and turned about, and then heard the door to the office open. He hurried to the bars and froze in surprise.

Kate walked into the sheriff's office. She was pale, her eyes ringed by dark circles, but she was alive and here for a moment his heart beat wildly with relief. Then he saw her expression, doubt mixed with fear and shame, and the memory of Caldwell's clipped version of the story came back to him.

She didn't approach the cell, just stood in the doorway. The silence stretched between them. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't figure out how to begin.

Finally, she glanced back at the door. "He's dead," she told him without preamble. "Bertram. Mr. Sheppard shot him."

Marcus reminded himself to thank Sheppard personally. Though it was possible Sheppard was going to end up in the cell next to his for this.

"They set Laura up as a decoy, pretending to be me trying to leave town. Bertram shot her."

"Is she all right?" he asked in alarm. He'd always liked Laura Cadman, and he'd been looking forward to seeing her and Beckett get married, and seeing Kate standing up with Laura. Of course, he'd been hoping that Kate would have agreed to marry him by then...

She shook her head. "I don't know. They just told me what happened. I'm on my way to Carson's. I was at Dr. McKay's. He and Miss Carter were... with me." Keeping an eye on her, he thought, while whatever plan had been put into motion had gone on. And all the while he'd been stuck in here, doing nothing.

There was another painful silence. Kate looked away. "I'm sorry, Marcus," she whispered softly. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

She turned away and started for the door and he couldn't do it. He couldn't let her leave. "Kate!"

She turned back and he could only hold out his hand. She rushed forward and took it, holding on tight. "I'm so sorry, Marcus," she repeated, the words tumbling out as she started to cry.

He reached out and brushed the tears off her cheek. "You should have told me," he said.

She looked down. "I couldn't. I hadn't told anyone, and I convinced myself it was safer that way." Kate bit her lip nervously and avoided his eyes. "I never thought I would care for any man again, after him. I didn't think it would ever be something to worry about again, so I never thought of what to do if I did find someone that I cared for, what I would tell him..."

It took a moment for him to realize what she meant. "Kate, do you... I mean, does this mean that you..."

She nodded. "Yes. Very much."

He drew her hand through the bars and pressed his lips to the back of it. Kate leaned into the hand pressed against her cheek. Her pretty blue eyes were red from crying and tiredness and he still thought she'd never looked so beautiful.

"Marcus, I want to tell you..." she said quietly but he shook his head.

"Not now, sweetheart. We're both too tired." He smiled a little, realizing the truth of his next words. After all, she was legally a free woman as of today. "We've got plenty of time."

***

Daniel sat nervously in the waiting area outside Carson Beckett's work room along with John Sheppard. Daniel knew Elizabeth was inside, along with Janet, Carson and Laura. There had been no word yet on Laura's condition. Vala came in alone, her cloak wrapped tightly around her. She'd gone to tell Miss Heightmeyer what had happened.

The previous afternoon, Daniel had let school out and been confused to find the town fairly pulsing with excitement. He tried to ask Miss Carter what was happening but she had been rushing towards the bank and not been able to talk. Eventually he'd gone to the café where Vala had explained what she knew, namely that Kate Heightmeyer's husband had appeared, shocking everyone by both his presence and his existence.

Now the man was dead, shot by Sheppard and Dex. And Laura Cadman had been injured.

Daniel found himself frowning at Sheppard, who was leaning back against the wall. His arms were crossed and he appeared to be dozing.

Every worry Daniel had ever had about the danger Elizabeth was in around Sheppard had just been confirmed. It could easily have been her, caught by a stray bullet in the middle of one of Sheppard's hare-brained schemes.

Before he could speak to Sheppard, the door opened and Elizabeth came out, with Janet behind her. She looked completely worn out. There was blood on her skirt, probably from Laura, and dark circles under her eyes. "She's going to be fine," Elizabeth told them quietly.

There was an audible exhalation of relief, cut off by Sheppard exclaiming, "Elizabeth!"

She had fainted. Sheppard caught Elizabeth before she fell, lifting her in his arms smoothly. Janet began urging them towards the room in the back of Beckett's offices, clearly not wanting to disturb the doctor right now.

Daniel started forward but Vala caught his arm. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"No, Daniel," Vala said, rather like one would scold a puppy. "Leave them be."

He took hold of her wrist but Vala had a surprisingly strong grip. "I'm going to go check on Elizabeth," he told her angrily.

Vala released him abruptly and put her hands on her hips. "Are you in love with Elizabeth, Daniel?"

The question stunned him. "No! Of course not. It's not like that."

"Then what?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"You're not in love with her?" Vala fixed him with a glare.

"No," Daniel said emphatically.

"Well, he is," she said, pointing towards the door where Sheppard had carried Elizabeth. "And in case you missed this bit of news, Elizabeth is in love with him. Everyone knows this, including the two of them. They're just having some difficulty dealing with it right now, which will not be helped by people attempting to interfere and keep them from talking to one another finally. And you will leave them be," she concluded, poking him in the chest with her finger to punctuate her last words.

He paused, glancing towards the back room. "He's not good enough for her," Daniel gritted out.

"That is not your decision to make. Elizabeth is more than capable of determining for herself which men are suitable and which are not." Vala folded her arms across her chest. "He's her match, Daniel."

The truth of it washed over him for the first time. Elizabeth presented a calm, cool face to the world, but there were deep emotions running under the surface. Sheppard was much the same way; his carefree exterior masked a man who felt things deeply and tried not to let it show.

Vala continued, "And unlike every other man in this town, he doesn't treat her like she is a china doll in need of handling. He treats her like a woman, which, by the way, is something few women ever truly get from men and most of us tend to enjoy." Vala smirked at him and Daniel felt his face go hot.

She leaned in closer and he backed up in spite of himself. "And you will leave them alone, because if you don't? Well, if you've thought up till now that I was a..." she tilted her head. "Thorn in your side? Trust me, you have no idea how difficult I can be when I set my mind to it."

That was a sobering thought. Before he could respond, Vala took his arm again. "Come with me. I'm going to need help. Half the town will be awake by now, looking for breakfast."

***

Sam sighed, trying to find a more comfortable spot on the bench outside the sheriff's office. She was waiting with Rodney while Kate spoke to Lorne. The three of them were on their way to Carson Beckett's to check on Laura and the others when Kate slowed, staring at the jail. Rodney had given her a gentle push. "Go talk to him."

Now they waited.

"So," Rodney said, and then appeared not sure what to say next. "I guess it's over."

Sam snorted. "In my experience things like this are never over so fast."

Rodney opened his mouth and then closed it. "True." She yawned. "What, did our night of valiantly sitting around a table wear you out?" he asked sarcastically.

Sam shook her head, not sure she wanted to deal with Rodney's personality when she was this exhausted. "We kept an eye on Miss Heightmeyer, and that was important, McKay."

He waved tiredly. She couldn't tell for sure if that was agreement or he was simply too weary to bother arguing.

Sam watched as people drifted about in the streets. Most of them were heading back home, but it was nearing dawn, so most of the town would need to be up in a few hours anyway. She thought about Bertram Samuels lying in a wooden coffin somewhere, about Kate and Marcus Lorne – Kate had been in the sheriff's office for a while now but Sam was not about to disturb the couple for anything – about Elizabeth, about her father, and about the town.

And she thought about Jack. He would be back tomorrow.

"I'm running for my father's seat on the town council," she told Rodney abruptly.

He looked at her for a moment. "Oh. That's... that's good."

She craned her neck to look at him. "You think?"

"Of course. I'm sure you'd be good at it." Sam was a little startled by that, but Rodney wasn't exactly a man who minced words or concealed his feelings. If he said it, he honestly meant it. "You'd definitely be better at dealing with those people than..."

"You?" she asked archly.

"I was going to say Kavanagh. And I beg your pardon!" Rodney protested feebly, interrupted by a yawn of his own. "So my social skills aren't the best. I have... other talents."

She knew full well he hadn't meant it in such a fashion, but Sam started to giggle in a rather naughty way and was rewarded when Rodney's ears turned pink.

"Oh for... you know I didn't mean it that way!"

"What exactly would your talents be then, doctor?" she asked, grinning. Clearly the lack of sleep had made her a bit silly this morning.

Rodney shook his head but he smiled and Sam reflected she rarely saw him genuinely smile at anyone. It was, all things considered, a very nice smile. "I'm shocked, Miss Carter, utterly shocked." His tone suggested he was anything but.

Tiredness was also going to be her excuse for sticking her tongue out at him.

Rodney glanced over at the café and Sam saw that Vala was marching along towards her domain, dragging Daniel behind her. "You think she'll open as usual this morning?" Rodney asked.

"I hope she makes pancakes," Sam answered, her stomach grumbling unexpectedly.

***

Laura's eyes fluttered open and she saw a familiar face leaning over her. "Carson?"

"Rest easy, love. You've had quite a night."

She could feel his fingers brushing her hair back, but not much of anything else. "What happened?"

"You were shot by that bastard Samuels." Her expression must have been alarming because he hurried to soothe her. "It was just a graze. More messy than anything."

Carson leaned over and kissed her forehead and Laura struggled to focus. In spite of his words, her fiancé was pale and haggard and she felt his lips tremble against her skin. "I'm all right, though?" she asked, groping for his hand.

He took it and nodded. "You'll be fine. We'll dance at our wedding as planned."

She smiled, "Thanks to my excellent doctor." Carson grinned a little. Laura felt the darkness creeping in on her again, so she squeezed his hand before she fell back to sleep. "Love you."

***

Elizabeth awoke staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. She turned her head and saw something far more familiar: John sitting in a chair next to her bed, looking worried.

She struggled to sit up and he moved automatically to help her. "What happened?"

"You fainted," John said, his lips twitching just slightly. "Maybe next time we're in the midst of one of our crazy plans to save someone, you could try to sleep a little? And eat something?" He sat down on the edge of the bed and held up a glass of water, rather than letting her take it herself and she was too thirsty to protest. John watched her drink. "You've had a rather rough couple of days," he added quietly.

More to escape the intense look on his face than anything else, she glanced around. "Where are we?"

"The spare room at Carson's office. Miss Fraiser went to the café to help Miss Mal Doran get started. Given the... events last night, it'll probably be a busy morning."

Elizabeth glanced at the window. Sure enough, it was dawn.

She couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that it had only been a day or so since she'd learned the truth about Kate. John was thinking along the same lines apparently as the awkward silence stretched between them. "About what happened the other day, when I got back..." he started.

Elizabeth looked away. She felt slightly ashamed of her behavior now. Compared to poor Kate – no, she was not going to think of her friend like that, she corrected silently – her own men troubles were minor.

"What did I do, Elizabeth?" John asked suddenly, making her eyes fly back to him. His voice low and so full of hurt it made her heart ache. "When I left, everything seemed fine. What happened?"

She was too tired, too wrung out from worrying about Kate, about Laura, to compose herself. "You left," she whispered.

"I had to," he protested. Both of them were speaking quietly, as if afraid of being overheard.

Elizabeth shook her head. "You left, John. And I..." She steeled herself, hating to admit to the truth but unable to hide anything from him just then. "I still needed you here. I was so tired, still, and my body hurt all the time. But you left." She was irritated that her eyes started to water. "Why? Why is your vendetta against the Wraith more important to you than I am?"

John gaped for a second and then pulled her into a fierce embrace. "Elizabeth," he said, voice shaking. "It's not. Nothing, nothing is more important to me than you."

He held her face in his hands and kissed her once, lightly. Elizabeth felt that kiss through her entire body. John's thumbs brushed against her cheekbones. "I hate leaving. I would walk straight through the fires of hell to come back you, Elizabeth. You have to believe me."

She wanted to, desperately. "Then why do you go?"

John swallowed hard, his hands going to her shoulders, looking down at her. "I have to. I have to finish this, Elizabeth. Once the Wraith are gone, when you and everyone else are safe from them, I won't leave your side again, ever, I swear to you. But I have to finish this first."

Given everything she knew about John, and about her own feelings, the magnitude of what he was saying – what he was _promising_ – should probably not have surprised her as much as it did.

John seemed to realize it as his ears began to burn and he stammered, "If, I mean, if that's what you want..."

Elizabeth stared at him for a moment and realized this was her choice. She could accept John Sheppard as he was and live with it, or she had to reject him and do it completely, right now, for both their sakes.

He searched her face nervously. This time she reached up, brushing her fingertips along his jaw, and she watched his eyes flicker closed at her touch. Then she leaned forward and kissed him gently.

She pulled back, slightly embarrassed at her own forwardness. John stared at her with an expression close to wonder for a moment, then he ducked his head and took her mouth in a harsh, sweet kiss.

John wrapped his arms around her again, and Elizabeth's fingers threaded through his hair. She could feel the tension in him and in herself, as though all these years of longing for one another had concentrated and poured through them now as they kissed again and again and again. John's kisses were playful but deep, hungry but tender, a feast of contradictions, just like John himself, and Elizabeth wanted to stay with him like this forever.

She finally pulled away in need of air and John nuzzled her cheek, pressing gentle kisses against her jaw, her eye, her temple. They were still holding one another tightly and she sighed. "I would rather be your wife now," she told him. He looked at her, half surprised and half worried. "You and I both know how dangerous your life is. I would prefer to be with you completely now, and not waste any more time."

He shook his head slowly, one hand gently brushing a stray curl of hair away from her face. "I don't want our life together to start like that."

She sighed, but it had to be said. "What if you can't defeat the Wraith?"

"Oh, I will find a way," John told her, his arms squeezing, bringing them impossibly closer. "Trust me. I am very highly motivated." And in spite of her worry and her fears, Elizabeth couldn't help her smile, which was answered briefly by his own, before he kissed her again.

***

Jack O'Neill arrived back in Atlantis to a strange sight. Posters were being hung around the town that could have been from years ago, except the printing looked new. One was prominently displayed in the window of the mercantile: "Carter for Town Council."

Once he'd had time to clean up and eat, he found himself walking towards the Carter house. Samantha came out the front door as he was walking up the path.

They paused and looked at each other for a moment.

She finished closing the door behind her and walked right up to him. "I'm not doing this for you," she said abruptly.

"I didn't expect you to," he started but she ignored him.

"I have my own reasons for this, but it's not for you." Sam took a deep breath and stared right at him. "I have to decide what I want for my life. I would suggest you have some decisions to make as well. Maybe when you make up your mind what you want, I'll still be here. But maybe I won't."

Then she stretched up and brushed a kiss against his cheek and walked away.

***

Doctor and Mrs. Beckett were sent off with rousing cheers and much waving at the end of their wedding reception. They were spending their honeymoon in Denver. The guests stayed up far too late in the night, still dancing and laughing together as the full moon beamed down through the warm night air. Indian summer had come to the town during the week and the wedding day had been picture perfect.

The next morning, Elizabeth felt the tiniest bit of sadness as she opened the store. Mayor Hammond's granddaughter was taking Laura's place for the next few weeks, which was nice, but it wasn't the same. Many things in Atlantis would never be the same again.

But at the end of the day, a familiar figure ambled into the store. "Miss Weir," John said formally but smirking at her in a way that made her both roll her eyes and blush.

He helped her close the store, and when they went to the door to go eat dinner, John took her shawl from the peg on the wall and put it around her himself, using the excuse to hold her briefly. He brushed his lips against hers and Elizabeth thought to herself that changes, even painful ones, were often for the better.

John smiled and drew her hand through his arm and they went out into the evening together.


End file.
